1. Lucinda Williams: Little Honey (Lost Highway). On Little Honey, alt-country queen Lucinda Williams returns to the more focused, rock-oriented sonics of her breakthrough 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. In doing so, she reveals a newfound sexual confidence (the title track) and celebrates domestic bliss ("Tears of Joy"). The singer/songwriter also manages to mine pathos for humor on the superb Elvis Costello duet "Jailhouse Tears." Williams can still break your heart, though. "Little Rock Star" plays like a much-needed note to Amy Winehouse, penned by a sympathetic female singer who has already survived the perilous, "whatever it'll take to get them to listen" phase. Williams closes Little Honey with a fun treat: A surprisingly awesome swamp-rock cover of the AC/DC road warrior anthem "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna to Rock 'n' Roll)."
2. Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III (Cash Money). Lil Wayne's stoned, whispery flow and high-drama delivery is spellbinding. The dude opens his mouth and you listen, hanging on each dazzlingly whack rhyme. On Tha Carter III, Weezy's scattered-brain brilliance is in top form — as is the big-budget production that dutifully follows Weezy's serpentine flow like a hypnotized lover. The New Orleans native's boasts, observations and musings are weirdly striking at nearly every turn ("I'm a young millionaire, tougher than Nigerian hair"). Wayne still balks at straight storytelling, but to fault him for this would be like dissing Dalí or Picasso for rebuking realism.
3. My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges (ATO). Genre-hopping rock outfit My Morning Jacket's juiciest disc to date features a smattering of styles, all of which are rendered outstandingly natural by the Louisville band. There are moments of extreme sadness ("Librarian") and utmost silliness ("Highly Suspicious"). Leader Jim James' versatile voice convincingly sells everything from guitar-blazing, kick-drum-intensive arena rock ("Aluminum Park") to somber country-pop ("Sec Walkin"). Unlike other ultra-eclectic offerings, Evil Urges never comes across as showy. You just get the sense that My Morning Jacket is doing what they love. And doing it damn well.
4. Robyn: Robyn (Konichiwa/Cherry Tree/Interscope). This year former Swedish pop tart Robyn finally witnessed the U.S. release of her 2005 self-titled disc. Britney and the rest of our country's brain-dead blowup dolls blew Robyn away in terms of sales, but the woman born Robin Miriam Carlsson in 1979 proved the most compelling of the bunch by far. Over thick disco beats, jittery high hat, deep space bleeps and icy strings, Robyn subverts pop platitudes. She exudes sexiness, smarts, poise and vulnerability in a way rarely seen in a world where hotness is defined by Paris Hilton.
5. Bob Dylan: Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 (Columbia). The magnitude of Dylan's late-career resurgence is brought into sharp focus here with a collection of "rare and unreleased" tracks recorded between 1989 and 2006. The two-disc set is a dud-free treasure chest featuring previously unreleased gems like the Time Out of My Mind outtake "Red River Shore" (an epic folk tale with spiritual overtones), the unreleased 2005 lament "Can't Escape From You" and the superior Oh Mercy session version of "God Knows." Another testament to Dylan's genius is hearing drastically different "alternate takes" that are every bit as fascinating as the ones that made the final cut. Sequenced judicially, Tell Tale Signs plays like a stellar double album by popular music's most vital elder statesman.
6. Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple (Downtown/Atlantic). Gnarls Barkley blew people's minds with their 2006 debut St. Elsewhere. Its synthesis of producer Danger Mouse's R&B-rap-future funk-fusion and Cee-Lo's confessional vocals was unlike anything on the market. The duo's follow-up, The Odd Couple, lacks a chart-shattering single like "Crazy." But on balance, the new album is every bit as absorbing as its predecessor. With Danger Mouse's spooky production egging him on, Cee-Lo continues to explore his fragile psyche and emotional wellbeing, making for a mesmerizing foray into what we'll call nocturnal soul.
7. The Hold Steady: Stay Positive (Vagrant). The Hold Steady's boozy brand of classic rock for the indie set gets expanded, and frontman Craig Finn's mouthful vocals become clearer on Stay Positive, the Brooklyn band's latest collection of gutter reports and sing-along song redemption. It's a more polished Hold Steady, but a band this splendidly raw benefits from professional touches like pushing up the vocals and occasional guitar solo in the mix. And on "Joke About Jamaica," we're treated to the revival of the talk box. Ironic bullshit? Not to my ears.
8. Sonny Landreth: From the Reach (Landfall Records). For nearly two decades, Sonny Landreth has been one of the most respected guitarists on the planet. But the Louisiana-based artist is also a capable singer/songwriter, and on From the Reach the slide guitar virtuoso shows he's capable of a studio album that does more than frame his axe achievements. A cohesive blend of bayou rock, blues, jazz and touches of prog ("The Milky Way Home"), the disc is a gripping showcase of excellent musicianship and heartfelt songs. Famous friends Jimmy Buffett, Eric Clapton, Robben Ford, Dr. John, Eric Johnson and Mark Knopfler all make guest appearances — but no one outshines Landreth, who is at the top of his game here as a triple threat entertainer.
9. Metallica: Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.). Rick Rubin miraculously returned Metallica to its thrash glory this year, which means the best metal act of the 1980s again reigns supreme. Metallica's trademark recipe of whiplash-inducing riffs, slippery machine gun rhythms and burly vocals about the innate horrors of the human existence results in a timeless mode of escapism (especially for the male species). Glad to have ya back, fellas.
10. Jamey Johnson: That Lonesome Song (Mercury). With a mighty pen and a gruff, expressive voice that straddles the line between George Jones and Waylon Jennings, singer/songwriter Jamey Johnson has become a key player in the latest movement to return Music City from Rascal Flatts fluff to the mature, sad country songs popularized by the so-called Nashville "outlaws" of the 1970s — most famously, Willie & Waylon. Johnson isn't afraid to show his manly emotions on songs like the poignant, cocaine-cautionary tale "High Cost of Low Living" or while singing about his WWII vet granddaddy (without getting sappy) on "In Color." And on "Women," Johnson has a hoot poking a little fun at the fairer sex. It's country. The way it should be.
This article appears in Dec 24-30, 2008.